Jung Ho-young: "Regarding Son's Military Service Allegations, Will Retest at a Credible Hospital and Disclose Results"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Jeong Ho-young, the nominee for Minister of Health and Welfare, announced that he will have his son undergo another examination at a credible hospital within a few days to resolve allegations regarding his son's military service, and will disclose the results.

On the morning of the 20th, as Jeong arrived at his office in the National Pension Service building in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, he told reporters, "To clear up the baseless allegations about my son's military service, I will have my son undergo another examination at a credible hospital within a few days."

Jeong explained, "I have repeatedly stated my intention to promptly undergo a re-examination at a medical institution designated by the National Assembly, but discussions on designating such an institution have not progressed," adding, "I judged that I cannot just keep waiting for this."

He continued, "When undergoing the examination, my son will bring past MRI images and medical records to determine whether he truly has a spinal disease and whether the previous examination was appropriate."

However, to avoid causing inconvenience at the medical site, he did not disclose when or at which hospital his son will undergo the re-examination.

Jeong said, "To prevent any inconvenience to medical staff or patients at the examination site, I ask for your understanding that we cannot disclose the date or hospital in advance," and added, "Once the examination results are out, we will submit the diagnosis report."

He also stated that if the National Assembly later designates a medical institution, his son will undergo another examination there as well.

Jeong's son, who is currently enrolled at Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, was initially classified as fit for active duty in his first military service examination in 2010. However, after a re-examination five years later, his classification changed to a social service agent (Grade 4 supplementary service). From February 2019 to December 2020, he served as a social service agent at the Daegu District Court. During this period, multiple suspicions arose regarding his son's military service documents and diagnosis reports.

Jeong asserted, "It is fake news to claim that my son falsely stated he graduated from a six-year university due to an error by the Military Manpower Administration." He also pointed out, "Raising suspicions that the diagnosis report is false by claiming that the medical term 'lumbar vertebra 6'?which is indeed used?is a non-existent term is a serious defamation against both the doctor who issued the diagnosis and myself."

Jeong emphasized, "My son underwent the military service examination through a strict procedure without any special favors and served diligently for 22 months," adding, "I sincerely hope that this re-examination will serve as a full stop to the baseless allegations."

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